Flax-cleaner.



Patented'luly 9, Mil.

T. F. LOWEBYt FLAX .CLEANEB.

(Application filed Oct. 19, 1900),

(No Model.)

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UNITED I STATES PATENT OFFICE.

THOMAS LOWERY, OF BOWDON, NORTH DAKOTA.

FLAX-CLEANER. I

SPECIFICATION forming part Of Letters Patent N0. 677,999, dated July 9, 1901.

Application filed October 19, 1900. $erial No- 33,605. (No model.)

T atZZ whom it may concern-.-

Be it known that I, THOMAS F. LOWERY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Bowdon, in the county of Wells and State of North Dakota, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Flax-Cleaners, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a flax-cleaning machine; and the object of the invention is to provide a machine of novel and peculiar construction and arrangement of parts for separating and discharging separately the trash and straw, the foreign seed, and the pure flax.

The invention consists in the novel construction and arrangement of parts, and resides, essentially, in the peculiar arrangement of the shaking-screens flexibly connected by spring-bars.

In the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, Figure 1 is a side elevation. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section. Fig. 3 is an end view, partly broken away. Fig. I is a perspective view of one of the spring-bars. Fig. is an'enlarged detail of hinged hood.

The same numeral references denote the same parts in the views of the drawings.

The rectangular frame 1 has a hopper 2, discharging onto a feed-screw 3, which distributes upon the top screen 4 and is driven by chain 5 and sprockets 6 and 7 from the crankshaft 8. The crank-shaft is operated by a chain 9 and sprockets 10 and 11 from the shaft 12, which carries a fan 13. The fanshaft is driven by a belt 14: and pulleys 15 and 16, which receive motion from a main shaft 17, driven by any suitable motive power through the pulley 18. t

The top screen 4 is pivotally hung at one end by hangers 19. tion and discharges at the other end, which is secured to the bottom screen by the ends of spring-bars 21, the latter having their other ends provided with ashoulder 20 and secured to the frame 1. The bottom screen 20 slants downwardly in the opposite direction to the slant of the top screen and is pivotally hung by hangers 22. The top screen has a receiving-pan 23, which discharges upon the upper end of the bottom screen 20, which takes out all foreign material not discharged from the machine from the top screen. A guard 24 is hung from the frame 1 under the discharge It has a slanting posiend of the screen '20 to separate the material discharged through the screen 20 from the pure flax discharged from the lower end of said screen. Motionis imparted to the screens by a pitman 25, extending from the crankshaft to the connected ends of the screens.

In order to vary the direction of the wind from the fan, I provide a hood 26, hinged at 27 to the fan-housing 28, and operate the hood by a rack-bar 29, pivoted at 30 to the hood and extending outside of the housing. It is obvious that the hood may be raised or lowered to throw the blast'up or downthat is, if the material on the top screen is heavy the hood is lowered to throw the blast more uponthe discharge end of the said screen, and when the material is light the hood is raised, so that the greater force of the blast strikes the bottom of the pan 23 and is defiected, permitting enough of the blast to act on the material discharged from the end of the screen 4 without blowing out the mate= rial discharged from the said pan. The hood also prevents the blast from striking the screen 20.

It will be seen that the screens are rigidly other ends, with the fan and crank-shaft between them, and that the pitman gives the same motion to both screens, while it is only connected to one.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new,and desire to secure byLetters Patent, is

In a flax-cleaner, the combination, with the top and bottom screens independently pivot ed, one at the receiving end, and the other at the discharge end, a pan carried by the top screen and terminating short of the latter and discharging on the bottom'screen, of the bars provided with flexible portions having one end fixed to the screen-frame and the other end connecting the screens together 0pposite their pivoted ends, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

In witness whereof I hereunto set my hand in the presence of two witnesses.

THOMAS F. LOl/VERY. 

